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And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

It’s not enough to be loving. Nor is it enough to be smart! Jesus’ followers are called to be both, abounding in love yet discerning of the truth, so that we can rightly represent the God who truly loves us. The coincidence of April Fool’s Day and Easter this year serves to remind us how easy it can be to be deceived by the material of the world and miss out on the majestic revelation of salvation through Jesus’ resurrection. In Christ we are able to have confidence even when we are confused, forgiveness even when we fail, love for others even when our hearts seem overwhelmed, and discernment even when we are surrounded by deceit. Heavenly Father, give us both love and insight, so that we can produce the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to Your glory and praise. Amen!

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APRIL FOOLS PRANKS 2018: THE DISAPPOINTING TRUTH(Excerpted from the website of The Washington Post)

Roku hasn’t introduced socks that work as a remote control.eHarmony, the online dating site, isn’t getting into dog matching.Amazon Publishing isn’t delivering actual authors to people’s houses.Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is not now also a veterinarian’s office.Petco isn’t launching a salon that will make you over to look more like your pet.The U.S. Army isn’t going to start delivering 3D-printed pizzas to soldiers by drone.Planet Fitness doesn’t have a new line of treadmills covered in grass and snow.A Kraken hasn’t been spotted on the Thames river in London. Brussel sprout truffles are not coming to your local grocer.Nor are grapes covered in chocolate egg wrappers.Bottled chickpea “pasta water” is fake.Charmin didn’t launch a coffee line.Stonewall Kitchen isn’t selling used jams.Walt Disney World isn’t selling kale churros.Burger King isn’t launching a chocolate Whopper.Smithfield hasn’t launched bacon-flavored breakfast cereal.Ikea isn’t coming out with a combination dog collar-selfie stick. There is no phone app that will teach you how to speak whale. You can’t buy a nitrous oxide speed booster for your printer.Amazon’s next headquarters is not going to be on Mars.Tongue-printing isn’t the new fingerprinting.The Lion King isn’t coming to Antarctica. Tech21 isn’t making a chocolate phone case.Redbox isn’t launching walk-up movie theater booths.Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronics aren’t going on a farewell tour.Head and Shoulders isn’t launching a body wash called “Knees and Toes.”There’s no feature that lets you listen to American accents dubbed over British TV shows.Sprint isn’t launching a “magic” soccer ball that also improves your cell signal.Lego isn’t going to sell a vacuum that sorts bricks by color and shape.GlassesUSA isn’t selling eco-friendly glasses that can grow moss.CarGurus won’t let you shop for a car by engine sound. “Bunny-foraged herbs” are not for sale at Freshdirect.No watch dealer is selling a $50,000 sun-dial watch. Virgin Voyages isn’t launching underwater WiFi.Wayfair isn’t launching scent-enabled wallpaper.Toddlers, dogs and unborn babies aren’t the new most-influential consumer group.Logitech is not launching “BS Detection” software to detect meaningless business jargon.You can’t hire twin bodybuilders through Zappos to wear and “resize” your clothes by stretching them.Cup of Noodles and Zenni Optical aren’t collaborating on glasses that don’t steam up when you eat hot soup.Lexus and 23andme aren’t partnering to match you to a car using your genes.The Energizer Bunny is not the new creative director of “Peeps.”And no, VHS isn’t making a comeback.